9-letter Insects that contain L

List of 9-letter Insects that contain L

1

Bumblebee

Bombus terrestris (buff-tailed); over 250 species globally

A large, fuzzy, surprisingly cold-tolerant social bee that pollinates many crops honeybees can't reach — beloved by gardeners, declining alarmingly across multiple species.

2

Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

A large orange-and-black butterfly famous for an annual multi-generation migration of up to 4,800 km between Canada and central Mexico.

3

Caddisfly

Order Trichoptera (various genera)

An aquatic insect whose larvae build elaborate protective cases from pebbles, sand, twigs, or leaf fragments cemented with silk — a key indicator of clean water quality and the inspiration for fly-fishing artificial lures.

4

Damselfly

Zygoptera (suborder)

A slender relative of the dragonfly that holds its wings folded together over its back at rest — graceful aerial hunters of stream and pond edges, distinguishable from dragonflies by their delicate build.

5

Dobsonfly

Corydalus cornutus

A large, prehistoric-looking aquatic insect with enormous sickle-shaped jaws (in males) whose larvae spend up to three years in clean streams before emerging for a brief, non-feeding adult life of 3–7 days.

6

Dragonfly

Anax junius

A large, fast-flying dragonfly that migrates thousands of kilometers across North America in a multi-generational journey, an ancient predator with extraordinary aerial agility.

7

Millipede

Diplopoda (class)

A multi-legged arthropod with two pairs of legs per body segment (unlike centipedes' one) — slow-moving detritivores essential to forest decomposition, with some giant African species reaching nearly 40 cm long.

8

Oil Beetle

Meloe violaceus and related Meloe species

A strange, flightless beetle with a swollen, soft abdomen and a fascinating life history — females lay thousands of eggs, the tiny larvae (triungulins) climb flowers and hitch a ride on mining bees back to their burrows, where they feed on the bee's pollen stores and develop through multiple larval stages; when threatened, the beetles exude a blistering oil (cantharidin) from their leg joints.

9

Robber Fly

Family Asilidae (various genera)

The apex predators of the insect world — powerfully built flies that hunt other insects on the wing, seizing prey mid-air with spiny legs and injecting a paralysing venom, then sucking the prey dry; they tackle prey larger than themselves including wasps, bees, and dragonflies.

10

Tarantula

Theraphosidae (family)

A large, hairy spider with a fearsome reputation that's mostly undeserved — about 1,000 species worldwide, with most posing minimal danger to humans, and the giant Goliath birdeater being the largest spider species at 30 cm leg span.

11

Velvet Ant

Mutillidae (family — over 7,000 species; common North American: Dasymutilla occidentalis)

A wingless wasp despite the name "ant," covered in dense bright fur, with a famously painful sting earning the nickname "cow killer" — the female only; males have wings and don't sting.